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Education / Training Crosman 600 semiauto pistol

Crosman 600 semiauto pistol

by B.B. Pelletier

Before we start, an alert reader has a report on the Gamo Rocket pellet.

———————–

I’ve found the Rockets to be a tad better than B.B. did – basically the same results but with one big difference.

SAFETY WARNING!!!

When shooting them at 20m at a hardwood backstop tilted about 10 degrees one of them rebounded and hit my leg. It wasn’t travelling very fast and I assumed it was a fluke. Then it happened again, and again and once it came back with a air amount of oomph!

Upon inspection of the rebounded pellet, it was only the lead portion and not the BB. Apparently the hard BB rebounds and transfers the energy cleanly to the lead since it travels back on almost the exact same vector from which it was fired.

If a rebounded pellet can cause a slight eye injury risk at 20m once every 10-20 shots then the risk at 10m is very significant. A hunting shot at 10m is not uncommon. Even if there isn’t a clean surface to create a perfect rebound, the BB presents a major ricochet risk when fired at high velocities.

———————–

Now, for the Crosman 600.

If there was ever a classic air pistol, the Crosman 600 is it! It’s the gun others are compared to. Reader Schten Dohkji mentioned that we had no 600 pictures in the blog, and I was surprised to learn I had never reviewed it!

crosman-600-box-web
A nice early Crosman 600 in a “rocket box.”

Early autoloader!
Crosman’s 600 first hit the streets in 1960. That was the time when Crosman powerlets had a bottle-cap seal that leaked, so CO2 guns weren’t well-received. But the 600 lasted through those times and into the era when reliable powerlets came along. It was a true semiauto, where each pull of the trigger fired the gun. It held 10 .22 caliber pellets in line on the left side of the action in a built-in magazine. Linear mags have a reputation for poor feeding, but as long as you used domed pellets or wadcutters, the 600 fed well most of the time.

Lightning fast!
The 600 has a feed arm that moves to the left so the next pellet can be shoved in, then back to the right in line with the barrel. A bolt probe then jumps forward, stuffing the pellet into the breech. All this happens super-quick. If the gun ever goes full-auto (shooting all pellets as long as the trigger is held down), it dumps all 10 shots so fast that it sounds like one loud shot! I’m guessing the cyclic rate is close to 2000 rpm! And, going full-auto was one of the 600’s little quirks. In fact, people used to modify it to do that until they realized that it didn’t sound like a machine gun at all – just a loud air pistol, because they couldn’t distinguish the individual shots firing.

Not powerful
The stock 600 gets about 350 f.p.s. with medium-weight pellets. It’s also a gas hog, getting only about 30-33 shots per powerlet. The rest of the gas has to operate the mechanism. Once a 600 is tuned by either Dave Gunter (503-556-1439) or Mac-1 (310-327-3581), it can get well into the 450 f.p.s. range – and Gunter gets over 40 shots per powerlet with his tune. A lot of folks attach bulk CO2 tanks and long barrels to shoot hundreds of shots at 500+ f.p.s.

crosman-600-right-web
The flip side.

Excellent trigger and great accuracy!
The trigger is very light and almost crisp. The little mushiness is hardly noticeable, since almost everyone shoots the gun as fast as possible. If you take your time, a 600 can be very accurate. Crosman really knew how to rifle a barrel, and they put the very best into this pistol. It’s as accurate as a Crosman Mark I.

In demand!
A used 600 will bring $225 in shooting condition and $275 in excellent condition in the box. They shoot so well that they are in demand. When the UK relaxed their laws against CO2 guns years ago, the Brits went crazy importing the 600. For a while, you couldn’t buy one for less than $350 in any condition. Those days are over, but don’t expect to get a cheap one unless you get lucky.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

62 thoughts on “Crosman 600 semiauto pistol”

  1. BB,
    I read the notice the reader posted and decided to try them. I too, found them to bounce back although none of them hit me. I advise that people choose other pellets for more shock and penitration. The Gamos really are not neccesary. What are they doing that other pellets don’t? JSB has a fine pellet that delivers what Gamo claims to do and that the Predator. I have decked rabbits out to 50 yds with them. Speaking of that, it would be apriciated if you tried a report on them BB.
    sav300

  2. BB,
    What do you know about a b-22 with maccari internals? Just wonderin’ cause I found one on the american airgun website. That thing looks sweet.
    sav300

  3. I’VE OWNED 2 OF THESE PISTOLS.
    IN THE MID SEVENTIES I SOLD THEM TO A FRIEND FOR $10.
    HE HAD BOTH GUNS REBUILT AND BROUGHT BACK TO GOOD SHOOTING ORDER. A FEW MONTHS AGO I WAS TALKING TO MY FRIEND AND MENTIONED I HAD BEEN ENJOYING SHOOTING PELLET GUNS. MY FRIND TOLD ME HE DIDN’T SHOOT THOSE PELLET PISTOLS ANY MORE AND WANTED TO GIVE THEM TO ME. I DON’ SEE THIS FRIEND MUCH ANYMORE, HE LIVES FURTHER AWAY BUT I HOPE HE KEEPS HIS PROMIS ABOUT THOSE 600 PISTOLS.

  4. BB,
    It doesn’t look bad, but I just thought I’d mention it. Just out of curiosity did my blog about my pellets go through? I could of swore that I mentioned them.

  5. Hi My Name Is Tony, Where can I send my Crossman 600 for repairs. It leaks air and it wont even load or fire. I live in Palm Beach Shores , Florida and is their a service center in this area.

  6. I’m having problems with my Crosman 600. I bought it used from a guy. And it’s not loading properly or firing very well. Is there a website that can help me fix my problem?
    Thanks,
    Stuwy

  7. Hey, I’m a home inspector and a guy recently GAVE me a mint 600. I’m into sport shooting and was wondering what are the best pellets for it, and what is the max/min CO2 load I can use with it stock.

    Thanks,
    One Lucky S.O.B.

  8. Lucky,

    You are indeed fortunate.

    Flat-nosed pellets from Crosman feed well in a 600, as do Crosman Premiers.

    There is no min/max “load” for a CO2 gun. CO2 maintains its pressure, according to the temperature, so 12 grams or 2,000 pounds will be at exactly the same pressure.

    B.B.

  9. Hi I have one of these – i put it on ebay and they removed it “Firearms Prohibited” do you know where the best place I could sell this at online would be? Here is a link I thought about just selling the box?
    *
    http:/photobucket.com/VLF
    *
    or u can email at lynfreelon@msn.com. Any help would be great, i am down sizing need to part with ths.
    Lyn

  10. Hi i have a crosman 600 semi automatic pellet gun for sale in the original box. It comes in near mint condition, and appears to work great. If anyone is interested in purchasing it, I am asking $225 plus shipping my email address is myaniga1@hotmail.com

    I can send pics

  11. I was going through some stuff in the basement of my father-in-law's house and found a Crosman 600. He told me to bring it home. It's in the original box but the box is in pretty bad shape. The manuel was in the box but it's in bad shape. Does anybody know where I can find a new one. Thanks JEM.

  12. B.B.,

    I recently picked up another 600 in very good condition, box & all, & I noticed something different with it than any of the other 600's I've had.

    This one is the second variant where the CO2 goes in tip fist & the cap has a hole in it so you can see the bottom of the cart.

    I have all three variants except the Sears one, & this is the only one I've seen (including my other 2nd variant I have), that has a screw on the bottom of the CO2 tube, & the markings on the right side are reversed from the others too.

    Can you tell me what this says about the gun?

    TheBBA

  13. B.B.,

    It's in a Rocket box.

    I'm surprised that they did this on the second variation & not on the first, & then turned around & switched back to the other frame style.
    Makes me wonder if they were trying something different, but didn't like it, so they switched back to their previous way of doing it?
    I'm guessing either there was a problem, or it was just an easier &/or cheaper or faster way of manufacturing, with the one piece style.

    Any way you slice it, I still find it an amazing gun, & will never forget what you told me when I was just getting into collecting & first asked you about them.

    Do you remember?

    You said;

    "Once you get one, you'll find out what everyone else knows… The 600 is the best pistol Crosman ever made."

    You were right! 🙂

    It's kind of funny, because when my last girlfriend was giving me a rough time about all my airguns when I was showing her the first 600 I ever got… I told her "There's one important thing that you should know…. It was here before you, & it WILL be here AFTER you!"

    Fortunately, not only was I right, but I now have four more, as well as an LD & a carbine version too! 😉

    TheBBA

  14. Jim,

    you have posted to a blog that is 4 years old. Only a handful of us monitor these old blogs. For the most current blog and to get the greatest exposure, go to:

    /blog//

    As for someone nearby to fix your 600, try:

    He seems to be the closest to you.

    Fred PRoNJ

  15. I have had one of these in my family for 30+ years. I live in suburban Chicago and would either like to repair it or sell it. It currently does not shoot and is missing the rear sight,front end cap(somewhere in the house)and the spring that goes in the groove on the left side. Maybe someone can reccomend a repair shop.

  16. I have one of these in the box, like new. It belonged to my dad, who barely used it.

    I tried it once, and it shoots awful — jams up, shoots a bunch of pellets at once (unintentionally).

    It was more frustrating than fun.

    A very interesting pistol to see, but best kept in the box.

    • I have two. Both function absolutely reliably with any wad cutter pellets, but nothing else, including domes,feed at all! So stick with wad cutter pellets and you should be ok. If not, the gun needs repair.

  17. I will admit that there have been a few Crosman 600s that did jam a lot. But most of them shoot very smoothly. You simply have to use the right pellets.

    And they would be Crosman Premiers. Have you tried them?

    Do not use pellets bought at discount stores or you will jam your airgun. It needs quality pellets that are available only through catalog stores like Pyramyd AIR.

    B.B.

  18. I have a crossman 600 that was given to me when my grandfather died. As i have no sentimental attachment to this pistol since i never knew about it i would like to sell it. what would you call "shootable" condition? and how would i go about finding out if my 600 is "shootable?

  19. Shootable means that it functions correctly and can be shot. So you get some CO2 cartridges and some domed pellets like Crosman premiers and you try to shoot the gun.

    If you need help with that, just ask.

    By the way, drop that extra "s" out of Crosman if you ever hope to have people be able to be found on the internet.

    B.B.

    • BB,

      Neither of my 2 Crosman 600s shoot domed pellets of any kind without jamming frequently! But they both shoot any type of wad cutter 100% reliably. I am pretty sure most if not all will handle the wad cutter flat nosed pellets well! But my experience shows me not all will handle domed pellets.

      My recommendation to people is try wad cutter pellets first. If those do not function perfectly, probably domed won’t either. But it can’t hurt to try. Forget about using pointed or hollow points in one. They jam for me every time!

  20. I have a Crosman 600 that my Mom bought for me when I was 14 years old. I am now 59 years old, and the pistol still works like new. All original parts, including o-ring(s?), and it feels and shoots like it did when I was 14.

  21. raycarr,

    Welcome to the blog.

    The Crosman 600 had 3 different types of piercing caps. I assume you don't have the one with the lever, because it is fairly obvious how to pierce the cartridge.

    Another one is a cap that simply screws tight and forces the cartridge down onto a piercing pin.

    I'll bet you have the third type of cap. The end of the cap is a raised round button that must be pressed in with the heel of your hand, after the cap is screwed down tight.

    B.B.

  22. Ok, This article is about 8 years old, but hopefully some one will read it and answer. I have two of these 600’s, and can’t get them to reliably feed any thing but wad cutter pellets. I would like to know which wad cutter pellet seems to be the most accurate in these guns? I am getting 350 – 400 fps in both guns with a fresh CO2 bulb, so they are shooting hard. It depends on the pellet weight, but even the 15.4 gr pellets are getting 350 fps consistently, and the 11.9 gr RWS Hobbies are getting 400 fps consistently with a fresh bulb! Neither gun seems to be very accurate, with my best groups being 5 shots at 25′ and around 2/3 – 1″. Also, most groups are vertically strings! So why would the groups be vertically stringing? Horizontal spread is usually < 1/4"!

    Any help any one? Email me at air guns bb (one word) at gmail dot com. Thanks!

      • BB, Yes I have tried Crosman Premiers and many other round nose pellets. The all feed well, but every pellet I try gives me vertical strings. Some are all 5 in a vertical row, with <1/4" horizontal spread. Some group 4 in a tight one hole group and the other around 1" vertical above or below that! Some group two groups of tight one hole, three in one small hole and 2 in the other either straight above or below the other group! My groups are all shot with my forearms rested on a bag and the gun hanging out in front of the bag. This gives me a very solid hold. I try to shoot all 5 shots without moving the gun or changing my grip and concentrate intensely on the front sight and trigger squeeze! My VERY BEST groups of 5 at 25' are about 1/2" edge to edge, and only maybe 5 or 10 of those from literally many hundreds of 5 shot groups. My average groups with the BEST pellets are 2/3" – 1" edge to edge but not always consistent. It does seem I get the best groups on shots 6 – 15 on a bulb. That is fairly consistent, and the worst groups are always shots 16 – 20 when the buib is getting low on CO2! I get about 25 – 30 shots per bulb, but after shot 20 I just plink with the gun as the accuracy takes a fast nose dive! Velocity to me seems extremely high, with 9.56 and 10.03 gr alloy pellets getting 450 to 478 fps average of 5 up through shot 15, after which it drops of quickly!

        Light lead pellets as RWS hobby get about 400 fps for the first 15 shots average of 5 and standard Crosman (chp) at 14.3 gr get about 375 fps average of 5 through shot 15.

        Vertical stringing is present and obvious on ALL 5 shot strings with ALL pellets. Some groups more than others, but it is the vertical stringing which keeps me from getting tight one hole groups.

        Am I doing something wrong, or is it the gun, or what?

        I have two other guns which I can print 1/4" – 1/3" ctc groups almost every time and the groups are all round and symmetrical. One gun is a Beeman P1 in .20 caliber with a red dot sight, and the other is a Walther CP99 with the laser designed for it. The Beeman has a very nice trigger, the Walther not so nice as it is very heavy double action only. But still, both guns shoot extremely accurately in spite of the heavy trigger pull of the Walther! Both guns are handled and shot in the same manner as the Crosman 600!

        Any ideas?

  23. I purchased my Crosman 600 in the 1960s, and it was stored until 2002. When I retrieved it from storage, it was missing the piercing cap, so I ordered a replacement cap and O-rings from a store in Anderson.SC. It wouldn’t work, so I put it aside…until today. I discovered that the piercing cap will not pierce the CO2 Powerlet. I can see that the piercing element did touch the Powerlet, but no amount of effort will drive it in. The cap has a screw in the middle, and I’m not sure that the original did. Could I simply have the wrong cap?

    • Stephen,

      That is very possible. There are 3 different types of 600 CO2 caps. The earliest one has a button that you press to pierce the cartridge. The second one has a lever to do the same thing.The third one simply screw onto the gun. That one requires a different length of CO2 tube with a different piercing pin, I believe.

      A CO2 repair station should be able to talk you through sdelectiung the gun you have and cap it needs.

      B.B.

  24. I got a model 600 with the plunger cap it wont hold air does anyone know how to fix it also how do i load it it seems the loader isnt inline with the barrel is that normal

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